‘Terrorists disguised as beggars could target Mumbai trains, stations’

Terrorist posing as beggars could target the city’s suburban trains and railway stations, warned a recent intelligence report.

As a result, a special team, which includes the Government Railway Police (GRP) and the Railway Protection Force (RPF), has started auditing every railway station on the Mumbai suburban train network.

This was decided in a meeting headed by Niket Kaushik, joint commissioner of police, GRP.

“A team of local railway police officers and the RPF will survey the station,” said Purushottam Karad, deputy commissioner of police, WR GRP. The audit report will be submitted to the Indian Railways and the state home ministry.

In the first phase, 20 railway stations will be audited and immediate measures will be taken to rectify the problems.

The team began by auditing Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus (CST) last week and found many irregularities.

According to the audit, CST — which was one of the targets in the 26/11 attacks — needs another 150 CCTV cameras to secure the entire railway station.

The audit also found that some cameras were not placed at an adequate height, while some were not placed at accurate angles. The team also found many cameras were not working.

The officers will submit a report on the station to the home minister.

According to GRP officers, many of the measures taken by the railways to secure the commuters are faulty, insufficient and not up to the mark. “Close to six lakh commuters travel every day by trains. Their safety is a priority,” said a GRP official.

The GRP are now auditing 10 major railway stations along the western and central lines.

GRP officers will also check to see how many illegal entry and exit points are there near the stations. “These points will be closed immediately,” said a GRP officer.

The audit committee will also check baggage scanners to see if they are working.

ACCORDING TO THE AUDIT, CST — ONE OF THE TARGETS IN THE 26/11 ATTACKS — NEEDS ANOTHER 150 CCTV CAMERAS TO SECURE THE RAILWAY STATION